particracyfandomcom-20200215-history
Kuniko Fujita
Kuniko Fujita (born February 28, 3689) is a Hulstrian and Gao-Soton jurist and former politician who has sat on the Supreme Court since 3647. He was Vice Staatsminister and Chairman of the Nationales Bürgerforum (NBF) between 3640 and 3644, and served as Justice Minister from 3634 until shortly before his appointment to the Supreme Court. Early life Fujita was born in Miyako, Hilgar, in 3689. Both his parents were lawyers; his father was a leading commercial barrister. Despite their profession, they had no interest in politics and discouraged their son's enthusiasm for politics. As a child, Fujita attended a number of elite private schools in Miyako and later in Kien. Graduating from secondary school at the top of his grade in 3607, he enrolled in the country's leading law school in the prestigious Henrich I University, and graduated summa cum laude after fours years. In 3611, just before his graudation, Fujita ran for election to the Kien City Council, but lost by a wide margin, and decided to pursue a legal career to the exclusion of his political interests, as his parents had urged. After being admitted to the bar, returning to his native Hilgar and clerking at the Supreme Court of Hilgar, he entered private practice. As a barrister, he represented employers, primarily small businesses, in a number of high-profile industrial relations cases, and also represented workers against large corporations, quickly becoming one of the leading barristers in his field. He was well-known for the large quantity of pro bono work he undertook. In his late twenties, Fujita decided to return to political activity while remaining within the legal profession, lobbying the government for the preferential treatment of small businesses. Entry into politics After a long-serving incumbent resigned from the Reichstag for health reasons in 3620, Fujita took the opportunity to make another attempt to win public office. He declared his candidacy as an independent, knocking off overtures from the Hosianisch-Demokratisches Verbund (HDV) and Liberale Volkspartei (LVP) to recruit him as their candidate. Snubbed, the major parties resolved to defeat Fujita, who was a high-profile candidate despite his inexperience in electoral politics due to his legal career. Nevertheless, he beat both the HDV and LVP candidate in a tight 'triangular' contest. He chose to caucus with the HDV, and was induced to join the party when offered a junior post at the whips' office. However, Fujita quickly became disillusioned with his new party, defecting in early 3622 and becoming one of the founding members of the Nationales Bürgerforum (NBF). After the official registration of the party, he was elected Secretary-General. Several years later, he contested the leadership after the resignation of Klaus Zinnberger, but performed poorly and was defeated by Edith Strötzel, whom he would later succeed at leader of the NBF; he remained Secretary-General. After the death of Wilhelm "Willi" Schauer, the Deputy Chairman, in 3629, Fujita was elected to replace him, narrowly defeating Martha Hellwegge, the Mayor of Luthur, Hulstria. Minister for Justice Although the NBF lost seats in 3633, it became an increasingly integral part of a potential governing coalition. Despite LVP leader Ludwig Kirchgasser's insistence at the inclusion of Solidarität from Cabinet and the strong animosity between Solidarität and the NBF, Strötzel eventually agreed to enter into a coalition including Solidarität despite her reservations. Due to his legal background, Fujita was offered the post of Justice Minister, and accepted. As part of the government, Fujita and Strötzel, now Vice Staatsminister and Interior Minister, introduced national sentencing guidelines, and promised to toughen sentencing for criminals. Although sentencing matters were (and still are, although to a somewhat lesser degree) the responsibility of Crownland governments, they claimed that due to the success of national guidelines in other fields under Crownland-level supervision, sentencing guidelines would also be effective in bringing criminal sentencing "in line with social expectations about crime and justice". NBF Chairman In 3638, Fujita's position as Strötzel's heir apparent came under threat when the NBF's campaign in his native Hilgar, which he organised, failed to translate into a successful result and led to his party losing seats. Karl Hellwegge, the Education Minister, experienced a substantial surge in his popularity with the party base, largely at Fujita's expense. When Strötzel stood down as Chairwoman in 3640, a close race between Fujita and Hellwegge ensued, despite the fact that the former had the outgoing incumbent's strong support. Eventually, Fujita was elected, although only by a very narrow margin. To shore up his support, Fujita's first act as Chairman was to give his enthusiastic backing to plans for tax cuts. The general election of March 3643 was another mediocre result for the NBF, resulting in speculation over Fujita's future as Chairman; even though the party made gains, a better result was expected as the change in leadership was intended to reinvogorate the party. However, snap elections at the end of the year resulted in major gains for the NBF, with the party winning 124 seats, up from eighty-nine, resulting in the temporary firming of his position as leader. However, shortly thereafter, a major split emerged in the party. The LVP and NBF had won enough seats to form government without the need for a third coalition partner (previously, this role was filled by the HDV). Neither Fujita nor his LVP counterpart, Kirchgasser, was willing to take this option, hoping to use the HDV to moderate the government. Deputy Chairman Werner Luscher, accompanied by other senior figures in the party, confronted Fujita and demanded a plebiscite of the base, which was strongly in favour of a two-way right-wing coalition. When Fujita refused to authorise such a plebiscite, Luscher challenged for the leadership and won with nearly sixty percent of the vote. He allowed his deposed predecessor to remain in Cabinet, retaining the position of Justice Minister. Supreme Court Justice In early 3647, Fujita announced that he would leave politics at the next general election. However, later that year, a vacany arose on the Supreme Court as a result of the retirement of a Justice for health reasons; as a result, he brought forward his retirement from politics, resigning from Cabinet and the Reichstag with immediate effect. He was replaced as Justice Minister by Anette Mandel, who had served as Justice Minister in Budenlar. Speculation that he had stepped down early to seek appointment to the vacancy on the Court was confirmed when he was appointed to the Court on the advice of his successor. Category:Politics of Hulstria & Gao-Soto Category:Hulstrian and Gao-Soton people